Learning Objectives To understand behavioural explanations of phobias

Learning Objectives • To understand behavioural explanations of phobias • To evaluate behavioural explanations of phobias What points can you add to this essay so far? ‘Describe and evaluate behavioural explanations of phobias’ (10 marks)

Progress Measure • ‘Describe and evaluate behavioural explanations of phobias’ (10 marks) • A 01 s? • A 02 s?

Starter: Little Albert NS AFTER BEFORE DURING UCS CR Use the info on the screen to summarise in your notes how Little Albert was classically conditioned to fear the white rat CS

Progress Measure • ‘Describe and evaluate behavioural explanations of phobias’ (10 marks) • A 01 s? • A 02 s?

Introduction: Moving forward our understanding through reflection 1. Generally someone is not stood behind you with a metal bar waiting to startle you! How can the concepts of classical conditioning be linked to the development of a phobia to spiders for example? 2. Mowrer (1947) proposes a ‘two process theory’ whereby the learned phobia is maintained by operant conditioning – how might this occur? THINK, PAIR, SHARE

Progress Measure • ‘Describe and evaluate behavioural explanations of phobias’ (10 marks) • A 01 s? • A 02 s?

Main activity: carousel and evaluation structuring • You have several evaluation points at the bottom of your work-sheets • You will have FOUR MINUTES per station to fill in the missing information and ‘top and tail’ each piece of evidence with POINT and EXPLAIN • For example…. .

P-E-E How else might I explain? ? • Evidence given: there is lots of empirical support • POINT: A positive of the behaviourist explanation of phobias is • EVIDENCE (as above) • EXPLAIN: this means that the area gains support from a wide range of scientific studies and this increases its plausibility

Main reflection: sharing our learning

Empirical Evidence • This is the evidence, you need to add the POINT and the EXPLANATION • There is empirical evidence to support theory that fears can be acquired by a conditioning process e. g. Little Albert and research in animals • However, just because it can be demonstrated that some fears are acquired in this way doesn’t mean all fears are acquired in the same way

Fear of Dogs • This is the evidence, you need to add the POINT and the EXPLANATION • Di Nardo (1988) found that over 60% of people with a fear of dogs could relate their phobia to a frightening incident with a dog, • This offers some support for conditioning theory, however this does not account for those who could not recall such an incident • A similar number in a control group (without a fear of dogs) reported a painful experience with a dog but did not develop a fear

Gradual fears • This is the evidence, you need to add the POINT and the EXPLANATION • Fears that develop gradually e. g. social phobias and cannot be traced back to a specific incident cannot be readily explained by behaviourists

No direct contact • This is the evidence, you need to add the POINT and the EXPLANATION • Fears sometimes occur when there has been no direct contact with the fear stimulus

Research in children • This is the evidence, you need to add the POINT and the EXPLANATION • Little Albert has shown that fear can be induced in children by the numbers are small and findings inconsistent, attempts to replicate Watson and Rayner’s study have been unsuccessful

Plenary placemats • Reviewing our learning…. • HOMEWORK = revision for your mock examinations 12 th / 13 th March only ONE WEEK AWAY. I will be examining evidence of revision on THURSDAY 8 th MARCH – just reading it is not revision – detailed mind maps, examination questions, condensing of notes, index cards